At Atlantic City casinos, you’ll want to roll the dice at least once—even if you’ve never stepped up to a casino table in your life. Whether you’re a high roller or more into the slots, one of the many things to do in Atlantic City casinos is answer to your gaming needs. (Just don’t forget to take a break to refuel at the best restaurants in Atlantic City.) Up and down the boardwalk you’ve got options aplenty, from the decadence of the Borgata to the good-times crowd at Tropicana. Hop on a bus to Atlantic City and get ready to win big (hopefully).
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Sure, it’s got 3,475 slot machines and 180-plus game tables, but serious New Jersey players come here with one thing on their minds: poker. The 85-table poker room (the biggest in Atlantic City) hosts daily tournaments, with buy-ins as little as $40 and pots as big as $30,000. 1 Borgata Way at Huron Ave (609-317-1000, theborgata.com)
Slots give poker a run for its money as the most popular game here. But the casino is home to World Series of Poker circuit events and to Three Card Poker Six Card Bonus, a nontraditional table game that is popular for its low minimums and high payouts (Caesars has toasted two $1 million winners already). The 145,000-square-foot casino also offers 145 game tables with the highest limits in the city. 2100 Pacific Ave at N Arkansas Ave (609-348-4411, caesarsac.com)
If slots are more your speed, head to this gambling den—or should we say cave? There’s 175,000 square feet of gaming space with more than 2,600 machines. It’s just as well, since Harrah’s is situated in the Marina District, away from the AC boardwalk. 777 Harrah’s Blvd between Harrah’s Baywalk and Renaissance Point Blvd (609-441-5000, harrahsresort.com)
As AC’s first casino, Resorts kicked off the new era of gaming in 1978. These days, it has more than 1,800 slots, including high-limit machines (up to $100) in its Hollywood Hills area and 75 table games. 1133 Boardwalk at Danny Thomas Blvd (609-344-6000, resortsac.com)
The northernmost casino on the boardwalk, once known as Revel but soon-to-be revealed as the new TEN, is promised to open to the public in early 2017. After two years of closure, the 130,000-square-foot casino space will be a key player in the Atlantic City renaissance. 500 Boardwalk between S Metropolitan and S New Jersey Aves (855-348-0500)
Readers of Casino Player magazine have named this joint AC’s luckiest casino on more than one occasion. Offerings consist of 170 tables and more than 2,600 slot machines, organized by price point (like Red Hot Nickels or Pennies in Heaven) over two floors. 2831 Boardwalk between S Brighton and S Iowa Aves (800-345-8767, tropicana.net)
This boardwalk centerpiece towers high and offers a game for every taste and adventure level. Three casino floors under the big Bally's neon sign serve up over 200 table games and 5,000 slots. Pick this one for the variety and convenient access to all of AC. Enjoy the newly remodeled slot floor with the town’s best pick for video poker. 1900 Boardwalk (609-340-2000, caesars.com/ballys-ac)
This resort invokes the spirited fun of Mardi Gras, with “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” (“Let the good times roll!”) as its official mantra. And roll they do in Showboat’s casino, which has more than 80 game tables and 2,600 slots. They rock, too: A free House of Blues Party Pit on the gaming floor offers live music and DJs on Friday and Saturday nights. 801 Boardwalk between S States and S New Jersey Aves (609-343-4000, showboatac.com)
Harrah’s bayside neighbor devotes considerable space in its 70,000-square-foot casino to table games—blackjack, craps, roulette, mini baccarat and more than half a dozen kinds of poker. Guests can get extras with ongoing promotions, tournaments, interactive gaming and bonus add-ons from the 24K Select Club. Huron Ave at Brigantine Blvd (609-441-2000, goldennugget.com)
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